For the Win: Rock the Local Vote in 2024

by Shannon Yvonne Moreau

The 2024 New Mexico primary election is coming up. Election day is June 4, 2024. First on the ballot will be your party’s candidates for President of the United States. The Associated Press called the nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties to be Joe Biden and Donald Trump, respectively, due to the number of delegates won from primaries already held around the country. 

Some of you might be wondering, then, why you should bother to vote in the New Mexico primary. Here’s why: the 2024 New Mexico primary ballot also contains important local and state races. Your local elected officials can have much more of an impact on your life than who’s elected at the national level. Depending on your district, (see “Download Your Sample Ballot” below), you’ll be voting for your party’s candidates for US senator, US representative, state senator, state representative, county commissioner, county treasurer, district attorney, and more.

Below, you’ll find information on voter registration, where to find your polling location, and how to download a sample ballot to find out what’s at stake so you can make an informed voting decision. We also got the 411 on the New Mexico Uncommitted Movement. Keep reading to get ready for the 2024 New Mexico primary election.

LINK: Visit NMVote.org for all your voting information.

How to Register to Vote

The deadline to register to vote by mail or online for the 2024 New Mexico primary election is May 7, 2024. During early voting and on Election Day, you can register to vote or update your existing registration and vote on the same day at your polling location with Same Day Voter Registration (SDR). 

Only voters who are affiliated with a major party can vote in Primary Elections in New Mexico. If you are currently registered as Independent or declined-to-state, you can update your party affiliation during Same Day Voter Registration to a major party in order to vote in the primary. Major parties recognized in New Mexico are Democrat, Republican, and Libertarian. If you are currently registered with a major party yet want to switch, you cannot use SDR for major party switching during the Primary Election. You’ll need to handle that by May 7.

LINK: Learn more about Same Day Voter Registration.

Mail-in Ballot Voting

The last day to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, May 21, 2024. To request an absentee ballot, you’ll need 

• your driver’s license or state ID number
• the last four digits of your social security number
• your date of birth

You can mail in your absentee ballot starting May 07, 2024.

Make sure your absentee ballot is received by the county clerk’s office by 7:00PM on Election Day. Mail your absentee ballot as early as possible and no later than May 27, 2024 to make sure it gets there on time.

If you’re worried your mail-in ballot won’t get to the county clerk’s office in time, you can bring your completed absentee mail-in ballot to your County Clerk’s office or at any polling location during Early Voting or on Election Day.

LINK: Request your absentee ballot.

LINK: Track your mail-in ballot.

Early Voting

Early voting at the County Clerk’s office begins Tuesday, May 7. Other early voting locations open on May 18. Early voting runs through Saturday, June 1, with the exception of Memorial Day, May 27. Polling locations will be closed on Memorial Day. Find your early voting location at the link below. Enter the required information, including the "I'm Not a Robot" prompt, and click SEARCH. Select “My Polling Location” for early voting.

LINK: Find your early voting location.

Voting on Election Day

The 2024 New Mexico Primary Election Day is June 4, 2024.

To find your nearest polling location on election day, click the link below. Enter the required information, including the "I'm Not a Robot" prompt, and click SEARCH. Select “My Polling Location.”

LINK: Find your polling location.

Download Your Sample Ballot

Many local and state positions are up for election in the 2024 New Mexico primary: state senator and representative, district attorney, county clerk, county treasurer, and county commissioner. 

To find your sample ballot, click the link below. Enter the required information, including the "I'm Not a Robot" prompt, and click SEARCH. Select "My sample ballot" to view your sample ballot.

LINK: Download your sample ballot.

What’s the Deal with the Uncommitted Movement

President Biden is pretty much a shoo-in for the Democratic ticket. 1,968 delegates are needed for the Democratic party nomination, and Biden has well over that.   

LINK: Associated Press Primary Election Delegate Tracker

On the 2024 New Mexico primary ballot for the Democratic party, two other options will be available: Marianne Williamson, and Uncommitted Delegate. The national Uncommitted Movement is encouraging Democratic voters to select the Uncommitted Delegate as a stance against the Israeli government’s military assault on Palestine. The point of this vote is to send a message to President Biden to call for a cease-fire. The New Mexico contingent of the Uncommitted Movement held a rally at Tiguex Park on April 15, 2024 to spur momentum for an “Uncommitted” vote.

The objectives of the movement, according to the Vote Uncommitted NM webpage, are as follows: 

• An immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza; and
• The end of the blockade to allow the immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance (fuel, water, food, medical supplies and personnel) into Gaza; and
• The end of all military aid to Israel and the halt of the shipment of weapons into the war zone to all combatants; and
• The release of Israeli civilians being held as hostages, as well as Palestinian political prisoners; and
• The dismantling of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the establishment of a Palestinian state; and
• The elimination of the influence of multinational military-industrial-corporate lobbyists such as AIPAC and others over the interests of the American people.

Their aim is to motivate citizens who would otherwise be apathetic about the election to become politically engaged and show the Presidential nominee that they want change regarding the United States’s current stance on the Israeli / Palestinian war.

LINK: Uncommitted Movement

2024 New Mexico Primary Election Key Dates

May 7: Voter registration (by mail or online) closes.

May 7: Early voting begins at the County Clerk’s office.

May 18: Early voting begins at polling locations.

May 21: Last day to request an absentee ballot.

May 27: Memorial Day. All polling locations closed.

May 27: Last day to mail your absentee ballot.

June 1:  Last day of early voting.

June 4: Primary Election Day

ADDITIONAL LINKS: Who's Running via The Paper